Final Fantasy IV: The Shattered Moon
by Kiroshi87Yamato
Summary: After the events of the Red Moon, the party stays in good contact and helps their world recover from the threat that was Zeromus. New ideas, people, and adventure await at all turns, but someone or something sinister, surprisingly from Bahamut's past, has it's eyes set on the blue planet.
1. Chapter 1 - Loved and Lost

When I first started writing this fic, Final Fantasy IV The After Years had not come out yet. Well now that it has, my story is considered AU. The title of my story may change.

Anyways, here is chapter one. Square owns FF. I own my original character.

* * *

"Are you still worried about him?" She gazed at her husband.

Glancing at her, he frowned. "Is it that obvious?"

She walked up behind him, enveloping his waist with her arms. "Cecil you know you can't keep anything from me. No, you hide it well."

He turned around to her grinning at him, and felt one come to his own face. "I should have known." His smile faded, letting the concern appear on his face. "I just think that he should stop isolating himself out on Mount Ordeals."

"He'll be fine out there, though I'm sure that's not what you're worried about."

He nodded. "He's more than capable of handling himself, even though the mountain should test his strength." He referred to the strange ability of the mountain to test its climbers, regardless of how well trained or armored they are. "No, I'm more worried about him being alone out there; no one to talk to, to confide in, or to test him in more ways than just physically."

A swift kiss to the cheek interrupted his thoughts. A surprised look "There, that should clear your head." She grinned at him. "I know that you can come up with something. Try thinking after you've had some rest."

"You're right. It is getting to be that time anyways. Shall we?" He lifted her up bridal style before she even had a chance to respond, earning a small squeak and giggle.

…

The sound of wind rushing by his ears focused him every time. The drop was always a rush, yes, but the feeling of the launch was far more exhilarating than the drop. You could always fall off of something high to get that falling sensation. However, the feat of propelling yourself upwards, up to the skies, or however high you could go, was the great perk of being a dragoon.

He sighed, and took off his helmet to wipe the sweat from his brow. "No matter how many of these I destroy… I just cannot answer my questions." He thought out loud to himself. The various monsters around him were always different. This truly was a strange mountain. Although the undead were prevalent here, monsters ranging from basic goblins to the dragons only so far seen on the Lunarian moon were all present.

A low growl and rise in temperature from his left put him on guard, though a quick push from his legs took him out of immediate danger. He spotted the source of the growl to be a Flamehound, while still gaining altitude. Placing his Dragon Helm back on his head, he moved his body into position. The ancient power of the dragoons flowed through him, and he used it to stop his ascent, starting his attack.

It ended the same as every other jump. His Holy Lance found its mark, and the poor hound didn't even have a chance to whimper before it was destroyed.

"…What is it that's missing?"

* * *

Short, yes I know. This is my first fic in a long time. The idea just popped into my head one night, and thus this is what is started from it. We'll see what happens.


	2. Chapter 2 - Morning Training

Introducing the main characters to the story is usually a good way to go. It's been some time since I've played through the game (even though I bought the DS remake, which is awesome btw,) so I may have taken some liberties with personalities.

As usual, Square still owns all that is FF, except my original character. That's mine.

* * *

"Ha!" A punch to the left.

"Ta!" A roundhouse to the right.

"Hiyaa!" His signature flying kick, energy radiating out like a wave from his foot, which strikes all the dummies in the courtyard. He bounces off the furthest one away, then kicks back in the direction he came from. Landing where he had started, he hears footsteps behind him.

"Don't you go over-exerting yourself Yang!" A frying pan was brandished out of the archway, held by his wife.

"Dear, this is hardly a workout yet. It's good to wake up to a rough bunch of training!" He wiped the sweat from his brow, and did one last roundhouse kick to the dummy behind him. "Thanks for waking me up early darling. You know I would have slept in again. I must point out, that pan has quite a few dents in it."

"Only because of your hard head. It wouldn't be this dented if you could wake up early on your own." She walked out to him.

"Yes, well…is breakfast ready?" he asked quickly changing the subject. He motioned to the frying pan in her hand.

"It has been for five minutes now. Any more and it'll get cold!" She brandished it like a weapon again. "So move your rear!"

He took off towards the archway leading back into the castle. "Yikes! I'm going, I'm going!"

She followed after him, smiling all the while. He too, had a grin on his face. 'Probably because of the food,' she thought.

* * *

The other monks followed Yang out for their morning training after they had all eaten breakfast. Ten were with him this morning, as they were every day. Fabul had roughly thirty monks that guarded the castle, and ever since the invasion led by Golbez while he was under the control of Zemus, Yang had decided to keep two thirds of the force fresh and ready to fight. Every day he brought out the other third and trained them hard, and he was proud that everyone continued to get stronger.

The exercise near the castle was both training, and warm-up. Yang was adamant that real combat was the best trainer, and learning both restraint and their limits was important. So they hunted wild game, and the occasional monster that would wander too close to their territory.

Their training varied greatly - Yang wanted them prepared for everything, so he would simulate as much ferocity as some of the monsters he encountered in the past. He had many weapons with him, mostly claws that had varied effects on them. They were to bring all the needed supplies with them in a small pouch that each of them carried. Always be prepared. Knowing how well they were doing, he would

He pulled 5 of them away, and had the other 5 watch.

As he talked through his usual training conversations, he suddenly launched at the nearest monk, hands immediately equipped with claws of both poison and charm.


	3. Chapter 3 - Laid Plans

I think the way mythweaver1 portrays Rydia and others is great, so I'll try to continue that… on with the show! *turns the shield into a wall, breathes sigh of relief*

Nintendo owns their stuff, I own my characters. 'Nuff said.

* * *

"Lady Rydia!" The guards jumped back as she appeared in front of them. They bowed deeply as she approached them.

She giggled, smiling at the guards. "Please, just Rydia. Are Cecil and Rosa in the castle?"

"Yes they are, they said to expect you. Pardon our surprise; we just didn't know you would appear so suddenly."

"That's quite expected of anyone except a few of my summoning family. Please, it's been awhile; could I get an escort to where they are?"

"Of course; they're not in the throne room right now." He opened a door to peer at another guard on the inside. "Roland, could you take Rydia to the king and queen? They're expecting her." He nodded, and motioned for her to follow.

"How has the castle and everyone been?" She looked around as they were walking, and noticed new projects here and there on the structure.

"They've been remodeling to accompany more training for the current groups, more library storage, and creating an entirely new…well I'll just leave that to the king." He glanced at her, and saw her curious look. 'My lord was right; she did become instantly curious.'

She turned her head this way and that, looking at all the new walls under construction. She noticed signs above some of the new doors, labeled 'Black Magic Training Hall' and 'Black Magic Study'. She saw the same signs over other doors for white magic.

Curiously, she spotted one called 'Meta-Magic', which piqued her interest. Walking up alongside the guard, she pointed to it.

"What is that? I've never heard of Meta-Magic before."

"That area is for several things. It's going to be a study of the magic not produced by our normal spells of white and black. Various things like magic that comes from monsters and the Ninja spells will be studied here. However, it is also a place of invention; new ways of applying magic are being researched, and are open to the public as well. The best ideas don't always come from those living in a castle." Pointing to a familiar set of stairs and a door beyond. "Looks like were here."

They continued to the area just outside Cecil's tower chamber. They opened the door to reveal tables covered with papers, Cid running to and fro chattering like an excited little boy with a new toy. Surprisingly, Cecil and Rosa doing the same.

"Cecil! Rosa!" She shouted across the grounds, a bright smile on her face.

Startled from their planning, the looked up to see a familiar face dressed in her beautiful emerald-green attire.

Cecil and Rosa immediately dropped their previous conversation, and ran over to her. A muffled "Oof!" was heard following the combination bear hug from both of them.

"Rydia! Oh my you always look more beautiful in those colors every time we see you!" Rosa said as she scanned her up and down.

Cecil nodded his agreement, smiling the whole time. "We've missed you much; the castle and grounds just aren't the same without you around."

Giggling, she batted him on the arm. "That's just cause you get a kick out of my magic." Her fingers were already laced with ice magic, leaving frost on the spot where she smacked his armor.

His eyes gaped, looking at the chilly spot. "Wow, you've become amazing at controlling the essence of magic. I didn't know you could apply it without casting a spell!" He turned his head to Rosa, who looked equally stunned.

"How did you learn to do that? When?" Rosa picked up Rydia's hand, studying it like a book.

Giggling, she poked her in the side to make her squeak and drop her hand. "I've been talking and experimenting with the Eidolons. Because of all the texts the summoners left in the care of the Feymarch, and some clue-finding between my Eidolon family, I was able to find someone who had also known this wild magic."

She backed up, and instead of weaving a spell like a normal mage would do, she gestured to a nearby wall, and there appeared several icicles. "I found out that my mother had often gone out to get supplies for the village. However…she also went to see my father."

Rosa and Cecil gasped, and Cid had finally looked up from his table, catching this last bit of information. "Ya mean you know who yer father is? We've never heard you talk about yer family much before!" He ambled over and grabbed a few chairs, spreading them out. Everyone took a seat, and waited for Rydia to continue.

"Yes, I found out my dad was an Adrin." She gestured to the wall yet again, melting the icicles off. "They were adept at using magic without 'rules' or learning incantations. Granted, it wasn't as powerful as weaving arcane words through the essence of magic, but it was something different." Again, she performed a bit of her 'wild' magic, and manifested a small cyclone of air at the wall, which blasted back as a small gust of wind.

"Then if that's true, magic really can be applied in other ways than just direct spells!" Cecil looked to his own hands, thinking of things that his friends could only imagine.

Rydia frowned. "Unfortunately, you need to be of Adrin descent in order to harness magic so easily without practice." She looked to Cecil, expecting a downcast face.

But his expression hadn't changed. Rosa smiled at his determination; he wasn't the least bit swayed by this.

"That's ok though, because it's proof that magic can exist and be applied without strict rules!" He looked to Rosa who just shook her head at him.

Rydia looked at the both of them, a confused stare plastered on her face. "What in the world are you talking about? Are you trying to do what the Adrin could?"

"We'll tell you later; right now we're working on something that needs some planning, lots of construction, and a bit of magic-muscle. Not that we couldn't do this with just lots of people, but we want this project done quickly." The four of them stood and walked over to one of the various tables.

The tables were grouped together in various spots, but one group had many more pieces of paper spread out on them. Among them were many drawings, all of which Rydia didn't quite get yet when she walked by them.

Cecil pointed to one in the middle. "This is the main piece that is going to be added to the castle; however, it's not just becoming part of the castle." He rolled out another long piece. This one was far more detailed than the rest, with various things here and there drawn in, leading into the mountains to the north.

Rydia listened while Cecil rattled on about the size and area of the project. Rosa admired her husband from the side, pointing out things that he'd miss in his haste to explain it all at once. 'I'm so relieved to see the smiles on his face again,' she thought to herself. She silently laced her fingers in his hand that was down by his side, and he gripped her hand, his smile growing just a little bigger.

* * *

Okay so I couldn't really think of any other way to stop this chapter. Ah well. On another note, now that I've seen some clips further into the DS remake, I'll have to play through soon to get a feel for what they made Edge's character like.


	4. Chapter 4 - Forgive and Connect

Okay, so I still haven't gotten around to playing FF4 on my DS, due to various computer games, and the fact that I can't find my DS charger. T_T Ah well. Anyways! I had good ideas come from nowhere, so I'm writing the next chapter. Here goes!

* * *

The wind was blowing fast this day. Trees swayed, dust was swept over ledges, and the clouds sped by, as if they were running from something.

Kain looked up, giving a hard look at the fluffy clouds. "Hmmm…ominous. I think I'll move back down the mountain."

He was standing outside the door to the Chamber of Ordeals, having finished meditating on a ledge overlooking the land below. However, he never went in, for something from the chamber told him he didn't belong.

He looked into the distance and noticed a gathering of dark storm clouds. "That's not good. This wind will bring that storm in quickly…woah!" He was knocked back into the door of the chamber. "Ugh, that was not a normal squall…something directly caused that!" He stepped forward and jumped.

…But landed and crumpled onto his knees like a small child. His eyes went wide with terror, "How…why…what happened!?" He got up in a flurry, and jumped again.

His feet barely went a foot off the ground.

"What is going on!?" He shouted to the mountain. He looked around for some answer, some reason for what happened. "The powers of the dragoon…why can't I jump!?"

Then he heard it. The telltale heavy beat of reptile wings. Again, he was buffeted back by a squall, only this time he fell to his back. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt true fear.

Bahamut was above him. Bahamut was looking at him. He was a massive dragon, his wings encompassing the top of the mountain. Each of his wing-beats generated massive gusts, causing Kain to squint his eyes, and making the bridge sway dangerously.

The great dragon pushed himself over to the other side of the bridge, and landed on the stone, his talons sinking into the rock. Though he folded his wings up onto his back, he was no less imposing than before. He took a deep breath…

"Stand up dragoon. You should not be afraid of me," he cocked his head. "If anything, you should be more than happy that I am here." Bahamut's voice was deep, booming. It resonated across the mountaintop, echoing inside Kain's bones.

Slowly he got up, the fear subsiding to confusion. He looked across the bridge, sizing up the dragon before him. Noticing that the dragon was waiting for him, he stepped forward to the bridge. Silence stood between the two; only the wind spoke for many moments.

Kain couldn't explain it. Something was happening inside him, and all he could do was stare at the great dragon. A link between their souls was connecting, a feeling of excitement growing inside both Kain and even Bahamut.

"What's happening Bahamut? What is this feeling? It's…tremendous!" He looked from his hands to the beast, bewildered by the raw power flowing between them.

"We're reconnecting, Kain. Your dragoon instincts and strength originally came from me." Kain's eyes went wide. "Make yourself comfortable, this may take awhile; what I am about to explain to you will cast aside all your fears and doubts. You will understand what happened in the past and why."

He could only blink in response before sitting down.

* * *

"Elder! Hey, old man! Was that who I thought it was!?" The young Palom bounced in excitement. Shortly thereafter, a sharp pain erupted from the top of his head. "OW!"

"Quiet down you oaf! We're in the study area!" Porom had once again bonked him on the head. "Look around you; there are other people in here trying to study their magic!" She whispered angrily to him.

"Sorry sis. But really old man, was that…Bahamut?" The elder had turned around from where he was gazing at books on the shelves.

"Yes, I believe it was. It would seem something important is occurring for him to leave the Feymarch personally." He placed a finger on his chin while in thought. "I wonder what that could be…"

"Palom, where was he headed? You're the one that saw him; the rest of us just felt his aura pass by." She crossed her arms and looked to the black mage.

"Towards….Mount Ordeals." His eyes went wide. "Ah…Ah! Kain is up there! Remember!? Cecil sent word about him, saying to make sure he's alright!"

"Indeed he did. Palom, Porom, would you venture up…" his sentence cut short as his eyes glazed over.

"…Elder?" Porom looked at his eyes gazing past them. She looked behind her, but saw nothing but the room. Looking back at him, he shook his head.

"It seems there is no need." He said with a smile. "Bahamut told me that Kain is currently…on his way to recovery."

"RECOVERY!? He's hurt!?" The twins shrieked, forgetting they were in the study room. The elder chuckled at their confusion.

"Not quite what you think young ones. He hasn't fully been himself for a long time. Trust me, he'll be fine. Bahamut means no harm to him." Turning around, he went back to scanning the books in front of him. The two looked at each other again in confusion.

* * *

"It started back when you were in the village of Mist, Kain. Our connection broke when Titan's power was unleashed. Zemus took this chance to block our connection as much as he could." Kain nodded, remembering the fire and Titan. "This involved a lot of power. He only needed to block enough to prevent me from letting you be corrupted. The connection between dragon and dragoon normally keeps him pure, and without that, you were left open. All he had to do was suggest you go back to the castle, where you were in range of Golbez. From there on, you were under his power."

Kain stood, stretching his muscles. His body was aching from the power flowing between them. "Did my body really forget how to do all this in such a short time? My muscles are aching all over…"

"No Kain. The full connection hasn't been able to be reestablished until now, and even now it's not done. The power of darkness has prevented your body from remembering what the full connection truly felt like." Bahamut too, flexed his wings. "Even my strong body has to readjust to the power between us." His tail flailed back and forth, and his body arched, attempting to ease the aches.

"Continuing with your past, after you were taken, I could do nothing but wait until something happened to break the darkness blocking us. You know very well when that was the first time."

A vision of fire falling from above passed in front of Kain's eyes. "Meteo…that sage, Tellah. When he cast Meteo…yes, that would be enough power to interrupt just about anything." Kain removed his helmet and let his hair spill out around his head. The sweat on his brow dripped down, showing he was stressing from the power reconnecting.

Bahamut nodded. "Truly, that mage cast an impressive Meteo. His own life powered it, and though it was enough to break the hold they had on you, Golbez still served Zemus. At that moment, I sent my energies down to you, and once again you were protected from Zemus' influence."

Bahamut gave a visible shudder. "I knew this would be taxing…" He laid his massive body down, dust puffing up at the sides. Kain looked up quickly.

"Ah! Are you alright Bahamut?" No sooner had the words left his mouth than did his own body begin to grow tired. "Ugh…why is this so tiring?"

"Normally dragoon, you would already have a full connection through your blood, being a descendant of previous dragoons. Also, the other way is when both the receiver and the dragon agree to transfer this power. However, that usually comes with a challenge from the dragon, the condition being that he is defeated in battle. This tires both of them out, and the connection can be made and grow while they are unconscious." Thunder rolled overhead, but no rain fell. "For you, I am trying something different; this is because the circumstances are one of a kind."

Kain slowly walked across the bridge, feeling the power flow easier between them with less distance. He sat down, laying his back against Bahamut's leg. "What's different about this time?"

Bahamut turned his head to him. "Many things; you originally were born with the privilege to use the dragoon powers; our connection was broken…" Bahamut growled in pain. "And this is something that neither of us has gone through, despite my old age."

Kain's eyes drooped, but he held fast and shook his head. "This is like going through a year's worth of training…in less than a day."

"I'll continue with what has passed. After you were protected, I noticed that the bond between us wasn't complete. It wasn't until recently did I realize the bond needed to be renewed in full." Bahamut paused for a moment to beat his wings, and then continued. "You seemed to be doing fine, and didn't really notice that your true strength was gone. Yes…you were fine, until you went into the land of Dwarves."

Kain looked up at him, aching and tired, but a look of confusion on his face. "I remember handing the last dark crystal over…how did that happen?"

"Not only did the bond need to be renewed, but Golbez himself still had some power over you. Unfortunately, because you were below the surface, and yet further away and blocked from our bond, it was easy for him to take control of you again." Kain's head dropped in shame, remembering that incident.

"How weak I am…"

"ENOUGH!" Bahamut bellowed, echoing into the distance, a jet of pure magic issuing from his maw. "You are not weak Kain; any man without some sort of protection would have fallen under such control."

"…I suppose it's time I realize that." Kain looked to the great dragon.

"Indeed it is." Bahamut stood up and gathered energy into his body. "The only thing keeping us awake right now is sheer stamina. It's time we finished, and moved on." He looked to the sky. "It's time to let go Kain." He inhaled deeply. "We are now fully tied!"

Bahamut let loose his Mega Flare into the sky, all his energies flowing out. Kain was shaken to his soul, and the clouds parted where the energy passed, dissipating outward. The skies were dark, and Kain felt the sudden urge to pass out.


	5. Chapter 5 - A little too connected

Yeah… still haven't touched my DS. However! I DID get around to playing some of FF IV: The After Years. Great so far – a bit more difficult than I expected (I actually died a few times!) This is okay, because the load times are practically instant; that's a big plus for me, as I despise it when a hard-disk game has load times... anyways! Let's see what I can come up with this chapter. Square owns FF.

* * *

Magic rippled through the air, disturbed by Bahamut's Megaflare. The crystals grew a little brighter; basking in the energy Bahamut gave off.

Rydia however, woke up in a sweat, not expecting to feel such a disturbance.

Breathing hard, she immediately became worried. Getting out of bed, she slipped on a forest green robe Rosa had provided her as a gift, and put on her leather boots. She felt very tired, and assumed it was still very early in the morning.

The door creaked as she opened it, and headed out toward the upper floors. She was intent on summoning Bahamut to see what was wrong, and needed the space of the open courtyard for him to appear.

When she opened the doors to the outside, she was greeted with a refreshing crisp breeze.

"Is everything alright Lady Rydia?" She jumped at the voice of a stationed guard. Taking a moment to calm her heart, she smiled and nodded.

"Myself yes, but there is something I need to see. Do not be alarmed by his presence." The guard looked confused, but nodded anyways.

She started into the twisting, lengthy spell needed to summon the massive dragon. She wove a great deal of energy into the words, suspecting that he may need the energy. The nearby guard watched in silence, gripping his shield a little tighter. Reaching the end of the incantation, she released the energy into the air.

What she got in response was far from what she expected. Instead of his form filling the area, she was hit with a wave of energy, and instead of feeling only his presence, she felt two.

'What…who is it that I'm feeling?' She was baffled, and a little flustered; another human's presence had connected with her somehow. She immediately blushed, for she had never shared such a connection with anyone other than her Eidolon family.

Still worried, she released the energy connecting the two. Immediately she started into the incantation needed to summon Shiva. After a moment, she finished and the area in front of her filled with snow and ice, and Shiva materialized in her full battle regalia. The guard's mouth dropped.

"Rydia, what do you need? You sent your energy urgently, but did not weave any words of attack." She looked to the young summoner.

"Shiva, I felt Bahamut's energy go wild not too long ago. I tried to summon him, but instead of appearing, I received a backlash of energy, and…" she chose her next word differently, blushing slightly, "sensed someone else as well. What's happening? Is Bahamut okay?"

"Hmm…" Shiva thought to herself for a moment. "Call for Leviathan. He may know something I don't, since I can't think of why the father of the Eidolons wouldn't answer a summons." Rydia nodded, and released the energy between them. Shiva vanished, and Rydia once again began an incantation.

A bit less urgently, she finished the words, and Leviathan stood before her. She bowed, but he merely shook his head.

"Rydia, you need not bow; we've been over this. I am glad to answer a summons. What is it?" Rydia repeated what she had told Shiva to him. Leviathan was deep in thought for a moment. "Hmmm, I know not what reason he would leave the Feymarch's boundaries. What he may be doing could be none of my business, but at the same time he might possibly be injured."

Rydia shakes her head. "I know of nothing in this world strong enough to take down Bahamut. Only the combined might of our party could do such a thing, and even then it…" she trailed off, something dawning on her. 'Maybe that's who…' She blushed furiously.

"Rydia?" Leviathan's voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Oh I'm sorry. I just think I may have a clue as to who I sensed in conjunction to Bahamut earlier."

"Quite alright. Well, if you need some direction, as I sense that you feel a bit lost on what to do; I would recommend venturing to find out where Bahamut is."

Rydia nodded in agreement. "I'll leave right away. Thank you for your help, and direction." She smiled.

"Anytime child. Be safe, and do not hesitate to call upon us if you need." Rydia nodded, and released the energy.

She turned around to a stunned guard. She smiled as she walked back inside, heading back to her room.

The door creaked again when she opened it, and she set out to changing back into her usual outfit.


	6. Chapter 6 - Not My Cup of Tea

Uh….Okay I give up on the author's note thingy. Square owns FF. OC/s is/are mine. (Dunno if I'm going to bring another in….maybe…)

* * *

Waiting in the shadows, Kegan listened hard for his prey, eyes darting left and right. Each time his prey had come near, he had been caught off-guard, and failed his mission.

What was it he was thinking about last time that had distracted him?

"You're distracted yet again."

Kegan launched himself from his hidden perch, flying at the wall opposite of him. A shadowed figure nearby dropped to the floor, where it proceeded to start laughing. Kegan blinked a couple of times in confusion, wondering what was so funny.

"My goodness you're jumpy, and I mean that in both senses." Edge took a couple of steps forward and looked up at where Kegan was perched on the wall.

Kegan sighed. "I was distracted yet again, this time for literally less than a split second, and I was still found." He let go of the wall and twisted through the air, landing gracefully on the ground. "Is that really all it took to sense me?"

Edge nodded to him. "We all have an aura we exude, which is able to be sensed, and sometimes even seen, if you're tuned to do that type of thing. Your inner aura is very bright – too bright to hide if you're not using all of your will to dampen it." Kegan sighed again, this time in frustration. Edge placed a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "We're going to try one more test, and we can do it here and now. This will tell me whether or not you're suited for the stealth arts."

Kegan tensed up a bit, expecting something physical to come at him. Instead, Edge laced both of his hands together, with his two pointer fingers touching pointing up. He closed his eyes and bowed his head ever so slightly. "Mirror me" he said.

The ninja in training mimicked his stance, and waited.

"Now, reach out with your inner sense and look for my aura. Can you feel it?"

Kegan focused, blocking out everything but necessities. Try as he could, he couldn't really tell anything special around him. "No, I don't feel anything."

Edge drew energy into him, as he would when preparing to cast one of his ninjutsu. This caused his aura to flare – at the same time he stopped hiding his aura, letting it out as a normal person would. "What about now?"

Now he felt something. A slight tinge of fear ran through his body, and he opened his eyes. "It feels like…dread. Why?" Seeing Edge, he noticed that he hadn't moved in the slightest, his ever-present mask still hiding his face.

"That is me - I exude an aura of shadow. This causes dread in beings around me that can feel auras. Can you see anything different about me?" Edge banked on this one question.

He got his answer a few seconds later.

"No, I don't see anything unusual. Should I?" Kegan continued to look around Edge, trying to see if he had cast a ninjutsu. However, he realized that Edge was still holding onto the energy, because he could still feel the dread coming from him – meaning he was supposed to be looking for something he couldn't see.

Edge sighed, and pushed the energy into a technique. Turning around, he let loose the Blaze ninjutsu against the wall, heat blasting back at them. The dread didn't completely subside, but lessened to a great extent.

"In addition to being able to sense auras, you should also be able to see them. I'm surrounded in shadow energy. You, on the other hand, are surrounded in an intense red and yellow aura. You're like a miniature sun – you stick out like a sore thumb when you're not completely suppressing it."

"So I failed." Kegan looked down. Edge rapped him on the head with his knuckle. "Ow!"

"Yup!" He stood in his usual cocky stance and continued. "That just means you can't rely on the stealthy side of our training. However, you have an immense affinity for your fire ninjutsu. Add that to the fact that you can't even cast Flood, and it's pretty obvious you're bursting at the seams with fire."

Kegan looked up suddenly, expecting to see some sort of scrutiny in Edge's eyes. Knowing of his past with Rubicante, he was surprised to still see the lighthearted glimmer there. "So, what does that mean for me?"

"That means my boy, I'm sending you off for a different kind of training – and that's based on one more peculiar thing I've noticed about you throughout your training. Come, we'll go make it painfully obvious just what that is!"

As per the usual of their training, they took off sprinting through the tunnels back toward the castle.

* * *

They were standing at the base of the battlements, the top of which was quite a ways up - inside are several flights of stairs used to get up. However, most ninja training involves scaling walls, ledges, and places where people normally couldn't reach.

Edge motioned his head to a window about a quarter of the way up the wall. "Hop on up there, and I'll show you what I mean, though I'm pretty sure you know what I'm alluding to." Kegan looked up to the window, gauged the distance, then took a running leap and landed neatly in the opening. Turning around, he looked down to his master, and nodded.

Edge, nodded to Kegan, then jumped as hard as he could. He made it about halfway to the window, then latched onto the wall. Kegan noticed how high he had jumped, and knew exactly what he had meant to show him. An expert ninja, Edge quickly scaled the rest of the distance and hefted himself into the window.

"Most ninjas can jump a decent height before having to scale a wall or cliff - you made that without breaking a sweat."

"So what does that mean? I'm some sort of jumping ninja?"

"Hah, no, it means that you have some peculiar history in your blood, of which I'm sure we could trace in a library somewhere. We'll save that for a later time though - time for a true demonstration." Edge pointed to the ground. "Drop."

Kegan gaped at him, mouth wide open. "Are you insane!? I'd be lucky to get away with just broken legs!"

Edge sighed. "Just do it already!" He pushed Kegan onto the window.

He looked down and gulped, and stepped off. The wind whipped around him as he fell, adrenaline rushing into his veins. What a thrill! As he hit the ground, he landed like he would normally in a crouch, and was surprised to find that he wasn't hurt in the slightest!

"What...?" Checking his legs and feet, he turned and looked at the scratching sound on the wall to see Edge sliding down the side of it, gripping it with a shuko on his hand. Edge dropped off a short distance from the ground and landed, going into a roll to absorb some of the shock.

"Ready for the last part?" Edge's voice was laced with amusement. "I want you to jump to the top - and yes, I do mean to the top of the battlement. No buts!" Kegan shook his head, and looked up. That was really high up...

Without even thinking, he took a step forward and bent his knees, then launched into the air. The speed at which he climbed through the air was incredible - it was even more thrilling than the drop out of the window!

He crested over the battlement, and went a twenty feet above it before he began to fall back down. Behind him he heard footsteps echoing up the tower. Looking down the stairwell, he saw his master dashing up the stairs, as fast as if he were running straight. Such speed! Within moments, he had reached the top.

"Now that's quite a climb!" He panted a few times, then took a deep breath to steady his breathing. Kegan had a big grin on his face, no mask hiding the excitement. "I bet that wasn't even the highest you could jump. Wanna test it?"

As eager as he was, he was still hesitant about landing safely. "Think it's safe?" Edge just shrugged. He had seen Kain launch into the air and come back down with no problem - why shouldn't he?

"Heh...oh boy." He stood deathly still for several minutes. Edge watched his back, wondering not if he had the guts, but how long it would take him to decide to do it. The kid had spark.

Enough spark to launch off the battlement as hard as he could, straight up. The force of the launch should have had some sort of effect on his body, but the only thing he felt was the rush from the massive acceleration. He climbed, higher and higher, and when the clouds came at him he put his arms above him. He blasted through the puffy formation and came out wet on the other side, his ascent slowing. Looking out, his breath was taken away at how far he could see. Looking to the west, he could see where the mountain range met the ocean, near their secret caves!

As soon as his height had crested though, he came plummeting back toward the ground. True to his straight jump, the battlement was right below him, Edge still standing where he had seen him jump from. Like before, he had no trouble judging when to bend his knees as he landed, and without any trouble, hit the ground hard. Dust flew up all around him, and standing up, he met Edge's eyes.

"So, what's this training you were talking about?"


End file.
